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On the last day of the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting, a move to further reduce the burden of pain in America will be made. Members of the National Pain Strategy (NPS) work groups will be joining the pain researchers and clinicians in the premier science event to provide an update on the progress of NPS.

This NPS presentation is expected to give pain professionals a more potent tool to reduce the prevalence of pain while effectively improving the treatment services provided to patients. To further support pain clinicians, the work groups also identified the key collaborators, one of which includes the software solution providers of electronic medical records.

Software solutions for capturing data

One of the identified problems in the current pain practice is the lack of accessible data, particularly, on the “prevalence, onset, course, impact, and outcomes of most common chronic pain conditions,” as cited in the National Pain Strategy.

This lack of relevant data presents a major setback for federal and state governments and health care organizations that focuses on the reduction of both health and economic burdens of chronic pain. Without sufficient data, they cannot fully push their efforts towards advancing pain care and extending access to specific or vulnerable populations. This problem also ripples in the areas of policy initiatives, public education, and treatment patterns.

The NPS work groups recognize electronic data as a good resource that could address the lack of pain data. Furthermore, the groups listed the software solution providers of electronic medical records (EMRs) as one of its collaborators. But as collaborators, what steps have solution providers taken? Are there existing features in the EMR that gives pain clinicians the tools to fully capture the relevant data from pain patients?

Meditab, a software solutions company that empowers pain clinicians with cutting-edge technology, provides the answers in the table below.

These software solutions show, data-capturing features are readily available in EMR systems, like IMS. Pain-specific features (e.g., pain management templates) are also in place for pain professionals to use in their day-to-day operation.

In conclusion, the National Pain Strategy encompasses a broad scope as it is through this range that the workgroups and various stakeholders hope to effectively improve pain care in America. This scope also implies that pain professionals can and will get the support they need from the identified collaborators— and in the case of collecting and contributing valuable data, pain clinicians already have an ally in some software solution providers, such as Meditab.

The amount of paper used in the healthcare industry is nothing short of astonishing. At roughly two billion pounds per year, paper and cardboard products make up approximately 36% of the municipal solid waste stream (according to the Healthcare Environment Resource Center). Imagine how much of this comes from paper charting methods used in hospitals, clinics, and multi- or single-physician practices.

Thanks to several EMR software companies, the magnitude of waste produced from healthcare sites is likely to drop significantly over the coming years. A staggering 67% of healthcare providers in the US are now using electronic medical records systems, according to DrugDev. As this number increases, the amount of energy used to produce paper will drop-off.

Keeping the environment healthy as we keep patients healthy

The primary concern in healthcare certainly lies around its customers – the patients. However, we can offer healthy remedies and alternatives to more than just the patients. In fact, by helping the environment through the implementation and use of EMRs, we are reducing the amount of pollution – ultimately reducing the amount of illnesses directly associated with pollution. What does this mean? In theory, a healthy practice can lead to a healthy environment, which may ultimately lead to a reduction of pollution-related illnesses.